Régis Le Bris press conference injury update ahead of Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest with latest on Alderete and returning players
Sunderland welcome Nottingham Forest to the Stadium of Light on Friday night looking to finish the season strongly. With Premier League safety already secured, the Black Cats can now focus on pushing up the table, while Forest arrive still needing points to fully steer clear of trouble.
Head coach Régis Le Bris spoke to the media ahead of the game, with team news once again a key topic following a challenging period in terms of availability.
There were a number of issues in recent weeks, including players struggling in the build-up to the trip to last week’s defeat to Aston Villa, which forced some late decisions around selection.
Alderete set to return as illness clears
Le Bris confirmed that Omar Alderete is expected to be available after being affected by illness last week.
The the former Getafe defender had to come off during the second half against Aston Villa, but the issue was not injury-related and should not impact his involvement this time around.
“Last week we had a few players unwell, which can happen. So they were just on the edge, five of six of the players so it was massive for us,” Le Bris said.
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“But it is what it is. You have to manage the situation and for Omar it was just that point.
“Last week we were just on the edge, so we didn’t mention it, but it was important for the game, and it should be OK for tomorrow.
“And it shows as well that on the bench now we have more options and when they come on the pitch they can influence the game.”
Elsewhere, Sunderland are close to welcoming back a few players, although they are not quite ready for selection just yet.
Nilson Angulo and Bertrand Traoré are nearing a return to training, while Jocelin Ta Bi has already stepped up his recovery in recent days.
“Nilson and Berto are close to returning for part training next week, so probably a bit with the squad,” Le Bris said.
“Jocelin started the sessions with us this week, so we might go further next week because he felt good, which is good news, and nothing else to flag.”
